cover image THE EXTREME GAME: An Extreme Sports Anthology

THE EXTREME GAME: An Extreme Sports Anthology

, . . Burford, $19.95 (224pp) ISBN 978-1-58080-089-1

This book may suffer because of its diversity. While the individual articles are generally well written and appealing, many focus on sports not usually considered extreme. The best piece, about a man who gets trapped on an island with a human-hunting Cossack, is the fictional "The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell. Though the story is suspenseful, gripping and well plotted, its inclusion in an anthology of sports writing is questionable. Paul Solotaroff's haunting "Bodybuilding: Steve Michalik," which traces Michalik's addiction to steroids and his eventual recovery, stands out. But again, the subject of this great piece of sports writing might not be considered "extreme" by hardcore X-games junkies. A single article on skateboarding appears, and none on skating, while there are articles on basketball, horse racing and the XFL, a league whose only true claim to extremity lies in its name. When the book does focus on extreme sports, it tends toward the adventure side. Many climbing and mountaineering articles, as well as articles on extreme skiing, BASE jumping and ice cycling, are included. Rick Ridgeway's firsthand account of the American assent of K2 stands out, as does "Ice Cycling," a personal narrative by Michael Finkel. While the writing is high caliber, this book may suffer for being billed inaccurately; fans of extreme sports are likely to be disappointed with much of the subject matter. (Aug.)